YouTubers will need at least 10,000 views to make ad money

YouTube has been busy tweaking its service and community lately. It just rolled out a live TV-streaming feature, and recently moved to better identify offensive content to prevent ads from being displayed on those videos. The latest update to its Partner Program slaps a 10,000 channel view minimum requirement on creators before it will allow ads to be displayed on those sources' videos. In a few weeks, the company will roll out a review process to evaluate new applicants for the partner program. These steps are designed to weed out illegitimate channels and prevent them from earning ad money off the service.

In a blog post, YouTube explained that the 10,000 threshold provides enough information to "determine the validity of a channel" while ensuring "minimal impact on our aspiring creators." It encourages beginners to check out its Creator Academy for tips on how to produce original content and grow an audience. Those who had already been making money from ads despite not having collected 10,000 channel views will get to keep their earnings. After today, however, that source of income will be shut down.

Once you gain the followers needed, you can apply for the partner program to start earning all the advertising dollars from YouTube slapping commercials on your content. That is, of course, as long as you've passed the review and follow community guidelines.